THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The war is out in the open. Standing tall on the pedestal of moral high ground, Kerala PCC chief V M Sudheeran thundered a discourse on political morality—to his own party.
Stung by the open attack, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy too hit back. “I have full confidence in my ministers and if Sudheeran has to say anything let him tell me directly.” In short, the Kerala CM has openly taunted the PCC president. It is no secret that Chandy has no love lost for Sudheeran or the other way round. The latter was not Chandy’s (or former PCC president Ramesh Chennithala’s) first choice for PCC president. Irrespective of the public postures the fumes of mutual contempt were obvious. What came as a surprise is the open spat, that too with elections round the corner.
The tension was always on. The PCC president took a stand contrary to that of the government in various issues ranging from re-opening bars to allowing large scale reclamation of paddy fields and water bodies. The latest provocation was the state government’s move to accept land tax and claim of ownership of Karuna estate from POABS, a prominent business group with interests in quarries and estates.
A partial survey has shown that the group is in possession, but has not been able to prove ownership and it could be an attempt to encroach government land in the pristine hills of Nelliyampathy in Palakkad district of Kerala. The government was in a hurry and overlooked advice from revenue, survey departments and the AG’s office.
Sudheeran wanted total repeal of the order. He slammed the Revenue Minister. With his ‘holier than thou’ discourse, Sudheeran has inadvertently managed to unite the warring A and I factions, albeit against him. And they have already run to the High Command. Their voice is one: “In openly slamming the government and launching a personal attack on minister Adoor Prakash, Sudheeran has spoiled the poll prospects of UDF.”
There could be customary summons to the leaders to Delhi, but the war is not over. If UDF manages to win, in spite of all the odds, thanks to the Left’s inept strategy, it will be about who would be CM. If they lose it, the blame game will begin in no time.